Filial Piety and Uprightness

in Confucianism

1
 Moral Feelings
• King Xuan (齊宣王) replace an ox with a sheep for
sacrifice:
“The king was sitting aloft in the hall, when a man
appeared, leading an ox past the lower part of it. The
king saw him and asked, ‘Where is the ox going?’ The
man replied, ‘We are going to consecrate a bell with its
blood’. The king said, ‘Let it go. I cannot bear its
frightened appearance, as if it were an innocent person
going to the place of death.’ The man answered, ‘Shall
we then omit the consecration of the bell?’ The king
said, ‘How can that be omitted? Change it for a
sheep.’”(Mencius, Book 1A)

2
 Moral Feelings

What is the difference between an ox

and a sheep (goat)?

“Your conduct was an artifice of benevolence

(仁術). You saw the ox, and had not seen the
sheep.” (Mencius, Book 1A)
Mencius, 372-289 BC

The basis of morality is moral feelings

3
 Moral Feelings
• Are moral feelings good reasons for
supporting moral judgments?
– Not a dominant idea in Western ethics

• Ethical Subjectivism:
– Our moral opinions are based on our feelings
and nothing more. On this view, there are no
moral facts and no moral disagreement, i.e.
no objective right and wrong.
4
 Moral Feelings
• Are moral feelings good reasons for
supporting moral judgments?
– Recall Kant’s words: “…that the subjective
principles of actions, i.e., maxims, have always
to be taken so that they can also be valid
objectively, i.e., universally as principles,
hence serve for our own universal legislation.”
(Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals)

5
 Plot
• General George Marshall is informed that three of
the four brothers of the Ryan family were killed in
action (after the Normandy Landings) and that
their mother is to receive all three telegrams in the
same day. He learns that the fourth son, Private
First Class James Francis Ryan, is a paratrooper and
is missing in action somewhere in Normandy.
Marshall, after reading Abraham Lincoln’s Bixby
letter, orders that Ryan be found and sent home
immediately. A group of U.S. soldiers then go
behind enemy lines to retrieve Ryan.
6
 Saving Private Ryan
• First scene: (27:25-36:10)
– Background and General George Marshall’s decision
• Second scene: (43:05-45:35)
– Rescue team’s controversy I (utilitarian argument;
duty of soldiers; integration of utilitarian calculation
into duty of soldiers)
• Third scene: (1:23:20-1:31:40)
– Rescue team’s controversy II (honesty, pity for the
suffering of others, and the last words of a soldier)

7
 Filial Piety
• The root of being a good person:
– “…Being good as a son and obedient
as a young man is, perhaps, the root
of a man’s character.” (Analects,
Book I.2)
– “Filial piety is the most important of
all virtues.”（百行孝為先）

Confucius, 551-479BC
Filial piety (xiao 孝) – virtue of respect for one’s
parents and ancestors.
8
 Filial Piety
• Filial piety is a lifelong duty:
– “When your parents are alive, comply with the rites
in serving them; when they die, comply with rites in
burying them and in offering sacrifices to them.”
(Analects, Book II.5)
– “Only now (before the last breath) am I sure of
being spared…” (Analects, Book VIII.3)

9
 Filial Piety
• In reverence:
– “Nowadays for a man to be filial means no more
than that he is able to provide his parent with
food. Even hounds and horses are, in some way,
provided with food. If a man shows no reverence,
where is the difference?” (Analects, Book II.7)

10
 Filial Piety
• In reverence:
– “What is difficult to manage is the expression on
one’s face.” (Analects, Book II.8)

11
 Filial Piety
• Why filial piety is most important?
– The first and the closest human relationship?
“Suppose your mother and your wife/husband fell into a river, neither of them can
swim and you can only save one of them, whom would you save and why?”

• Why we have moral duties towards our

parents?
– Our life is parents’ gift?
– Reciprocity?

12
 Filial Piety
• Outward expression of our innermost heart:
– “Presumably there must have been cases in
ancient times of people not burying their
parents. When the parents died, they were
thrown in the gullies. Then one day the sons
passed the place and there lay the bodies, eaten
by foxes and sucked by files. A sweat broke out
on their brows, and they could not bear to look.
The sweating was not put on for others to see. It
was an outward expression of their innermost
heart.” (Mencius, Book IIIA.5)

13
 Filial Piety
• Outward expression of our innermost heart:
– “…on one occasion does a man realize himself to
the full…mourning for one’s parents may be an
exception.” (Analects, Book XIX.17)

14
 Two Objections to Confucian Ethics
• Two Objections to Confucian Ethics:
1. Moral feelings as moral facts
2. Objective moral ground

What is conscience? Making judgment with

conscience is very dangerous because
our consciences are different, and someone
may even say that I don’t have a conscience.
(Andy Tsang, Former Commissioner of HKPF)

良心
Good Heart-mind
15
 Confucianism = Ethical Subjectivism?
• Debate over Three-year mourning（三年之喪）:
– “Tsai Wo* asked about the three-year mourning period,
saying, ‘Even a full year is too long. If the gentleman
gives up the practice of the rites for three years, the
rites are sure to be in ruins; if he gives up the practice of
music for three years, music is sure to collapse. A full
year’s mourning is quite enough…’” (Analects, Book
XVII.21)

*Tsai Wo: Disciple of Confucius, known for his gift in speech

16
 Confucianism = Ethical Subjectivism?
• Three-year mourning:
– Recall: “…when (your parents) die, comply
with rites in burying them and in offering
sacrifices to them.” (Analects, Book II.5)
– Good food 
– Good dress 
– Entertainment 
– Travel (includes business trip) 
– Marriage 

17
 Rethinking the Three-year Mourning
• Period of mourning (from CNN):
– “The Thai cabinet…is asking the public not to hold any
‘entertainment activities’ for a month.”
– “Even on Bangkok’s famous Khao San Road -- known for its bright
lights, nightclubs and swarms of backpackers -- the mood was
somber…The usual loud dance music was absent as nightclubs
closed for the night.”
– “According to the palace statement, all government buildings will fly
the Thai flag at half-staff for 30 days …and all civil servants have
been ordered to wear black clothing for a year as a sign of
mourning.”

18
 Confucianism = Ethical Subjectivism?
• Tsai Wo on Three-year mourning:
– Propose to shorten the three-year
mourning period, i.e. one year is
enough.
– Give up the practice of rites (and
music)* for three years, the rites are
sure to be in ruins.

*Rite and music（禮樂）:

Foundation of social and political system
19
Confucianism = Ethical Subjectivism?
• Debate over Three-year mourning:
How you feel; not the consequence
“(Confucius) said, ‘Would you, then, be able to
enjoy eating your rice and wearing your finery?’
‘Yes, I would.’ ‘If you are able to enjoy them, do
so by all means.’ After Tsai Wo had left, the
Master said, ‘How unfeeling (不仁) Yu is…’”

Disapprove Tsai Wo’s decision Analects, Book XVII.21

20
Confucianism = Ethical Subjectivism?
• Distinction between Confucian ethics and ethical
subjectivism:
Ethical Subjectivism Confucian Ethics

Moral Fact No Moral Feelings

Moral Disagreement Impossible Possible

21
 Rethinking the Three-year Mourning
• Can a request for make-up quiz be
justified if someone needs to:
1. Attend the wedding ceremony of
brother/sister;
2. See his (parent, lover, relative) for
the last time, to say goodbye
forever.

22
 Rethinking the Three-year Mourning
• If you agree that the University
should have a guideline for, at least
the latter case, then you may
understand the necessity of having
a guideline for mourning - Rite (禮)
is a guideline for us to express our
innermost heart in a proper way.

23
 Rethinking the Three-year Mourning
• For ethical subjectivism, moral opinions are based on
feelings and nothing more.

• For Confucianism, it’s not based on feelings only:

– “…Three years’ mourning is observed throughout the
Empire. Was Yu not given three year’ love by his parents? ”
(Analects, Book XVII.21)
– “Be sure to go carefully into the case of the man who is
disliked by the multitude…” (Analects, Book XV.28)

Moral acts are outward expression of our innermost heart,

but it should be guided by life experience, public opinion and
history of mankind, etc.

24
 Concept of Uprightness
• Impartiality vs. Uprightness:
“The Governor of She said to Confucius, ‘In our
village we have one (upright boy). When his father
stole a sheep, he the son gave evidence against
him.’ Confucius answered, ‘In our village those who
are (upright) are quite different. Fathers cover up
for their sons, and sons cover up for their fathers.
In such behavior is (uprightness) to be found as a
matter of course.” (Analects, Book XIII.18)

25
Concept of Uprightness

26
 Concept of Uprightness
• Confucian Uprightness:
– “Repay an injury with kindness.” (報怨以德) (Dao
de jing) 
– “…Repay an injury with uprightness (以直報怨),
but repay a good turn with a good turn. (以德報
德 )” (Analects, Book XIV.34)
– Be upright ≠ Be good
– Kindness/impartiality is good for the public, but
it is not a must in this case.

27
 Concept of Uprightness
• A possible reply to the case of concealing the
misconduct of father/son:
– “In his errors a man is true to type. Observe the
errors and you will know the man.” (Analects,
Book IV.7)
– Conceal the misconduct of father/son is
“wrong”, but the son/father have to do so.
– A bad citizen, but a good father/son.

28
 Respect Diversity
• Confucius did not reject the idea of
Governor She:
– “In our village those who are upright are
quite different.”

Moral feelings

Public opinion / Culture

– Room for moral progress

29
 Respect Diversity
Confucius understood the norm of upholding impartiality of
Governor She’s village, but he acts in a different way.

“The gentleman agrees with others without being an echo.

The small man echoes without being in agreement.”
Analects, Book VIII.23

e.g. Legco voting on 2014-15 Hong Kong electoral reform

30
 Respect Diversity?
• Diversity is the Reason of Disorder:
– “…how will the conditions of those below be
determined and recognized…It is only possible through
carrying out government by exalting unity under a single
principle…If each person was his own master, then for
one person there was one principle, for ten people ten
principles…everyone affirmed their own principles and
denied the principles of others, with the result that what
was weighty was contentious and what was trivial was
contentious.” (Mozi, Exalting Unity III 13.2)

31